Author: Addison Albright
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Cover Artist: Written Ink Designs
Genre: contemporary
Length: 72k
Formats MOBI, EPUB, PDF
Henry and Sam Miller-Greene are living the dream. They love their careers -- which afford each of them opportunities to travel to exotic locations -- they love their home, Sam’s caring family, and each other. They disagree on the subject of adoption, but are fully committed to each other in marriage ... ’Til Death Do Us Part.
The dream is shattered when Henry’s plane crashes and he’s presumed dead. But four people -- Henry, two other men, and a child -- survive undetected on a remote, small, and insignificant island. Will Sam and Henry’s love be able to survive, as well?
Henry fights to endure in harsh conditions, never knowing when disaster will strike. Sam struggles with his loss, but with help moves on with his life. Will Sam be able to put aside his new love when he reunites with Henry?
This is a love story more than a romance, exploring what happens after boy gets boy and the worst thing happens. The author sure puts her characters through the wringer.
After Henry and his companions get stranded, it’s no Gilligan style picnic, they have to scramble for survival. Fortunately, Henry knows a lot about the local flora, having paid attention to Sam’s expertise in South Seas botany. I like this touch, because in a very real way, Sam keeps Henry alive, even though he’s miles away grieving. Not only that, but Henry rescued a baby boy from the wreckage, and having a family was a tension point for them as a couple. Now Henry’s thrust into the fatherhood Sam longed for and Henry wasn’t so sure about.
We see a lot more of Henry’s situation than Sam’s, because survival, but we know how hard Sam’s grieving and how much it takes for him to close a chapter of his life when there’s no real closure. Getting someone presumed dead back after years and years has to be a horrible shock, even if it’s exactly what you’ve been hoping for. The author chose not to go into the details of getting Henry’s life back, such as drivers’ licenses for a “dead man” because finding out where he stands with Sam is more important. Still, some issues resolved with amazingly little discussion.
Sam’s between a rock and a hard place, and I had a little trouble connecting with this section, possibly because we’re not in his head the way we are with Henry. Still he’s got some very real conflict, which would be hard not to, after working so hard to accept his loss.
The author definitely learned her stuff about the island’s biology, which Henry uses to keep his companions alive. This comes over a little heavy handed in places, and I’m really not sure people who are mostly living on mangoes could be constipated, but the island sections are vivid. The storm sequence had the hair on my arms standing up. Each of Henry's fellow castaways has his strengths, and they have to depend on each other, because the dangers they face are so real.
This couple's happiness is hard won, and it's bittersweet that someone else had pain amidst the joy. Maybe he'll get a story too? I enjoyed reading this adventure in survival of body and heart, and was left smiling. 4 marbles
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